Picture hanger



Sept. 13, 1960 E L. PEDLEY PICTURE HANGER Filed Jan. 27, 1958 FIG. 2

INVENTOR. E/P/C LPEDL EV PICTURE HANGER Eric L. Pedley, 134 Sacramento St., San Francisco, Calif.

Filed Jan. 27, 1958, Ser. No. 711,334

6 Claims. (Cl. 24828) This invention relates to a picture hanger and has for one of its objects the provision of improved means for suspending a picture from a wall and for levelling such picture when so suspended, and which means is adapted to hold the picture in levelled position after the picture has been adjusted to such position.

Another object is the provision of a picture hanger that is adapted to be quickly secured to the picture to be hung, and is also adapted to be quickly suspended from the wall against which the picture is to be hung, and after said hanger is so secured to a wall with the picture on the hanger the latter is so constructed as to enable a person to quickly move the picture relative to the hanger so that the picture will be level.

Various devices have heretofore been disclosed for hanging pictures so they will not be tilted, but will hang level. Most of these devices either require two horizontally spaced points of support, or careful measurements must be followed in securing the picture hanger to the wall, or else the structure used is so complicated as to be economically impractical.

With the present device, absolute accuracy in positioning the hanger member on the wall is not essential. If it is tilted slightly relative to vertical or horizontal, it is immaterial, since the picture is adapted to be quickly adjusted relative to the hanger member at the time the picture is supported or suspended from the hanger member. Also two separate horizontally spaced points of support are not required by the present invention, but instead, there is only one suspension point of engage ment between the picture and the hanger member that is suspended from the wall, and the picture may be quickly adjusted by moving it relative to said point.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a picture hanger having the foregoing characteristics, in which the hanger is fully concealed behind the picture, when in use, and which hanger structure is economical to make and easy to install, and is readily adapted to any sized picture.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the description and in the drawings.

In the drawings Fig. l is a perspective view of the rear side of a picture with the picture hanger secured thereto.

Fig. 2 is a side edge view of the picture suspended from a wall.

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation view of a picture having a hanger attached thereto, which view shows how the hanger elements may be cut to fit the picture and showing the picture in dot-dash lines before levelling it.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of one of the hanger elements.

Fig. 5 is a rear plan View showing a modified form of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view as seen from line 66 of Fig.5.

In the description and claims, the use of the word picture unless otherwise specified, is intended to include the frame.

t In detail, referring to Figs. 1 to 3, the picture to be Patented Sept. 13, 1960 hung, is generally designated 1, which picture includes a frame 2 having top and bottom sides 3, 4 and lateral sides 5. This frame supports and encloses the canvas, board, print or other image bearing medium including such other conventional adjuncts as may be appropriate to the type of picture, such as glass, etc.

The hanger or picture hanging device illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3 comprises a vertically elongated hanger member 6, which may be in the form of a semi-rigid metal strip, or strip of any other suitable material of sufficient length to extend across approximately the full vertical dimension of the picture at a point centrally between its lateral sides.

The lower end portion of this hanger member 6 is doubled on itself to provide an upwardly opening hook portion7 (Figs. 1, 2).

Secured at its ends to the rear side of the lower frame piece 4 is a lower horizontally elongated element 8. This elementis preferably a strip of material similar to that of member 6, and is formed adjacent to the end portions 9 with parallel opposed, short legs 10 (Fig. 1) so that the central part 11 of said element is spaced from the rear side of the lower frame piece 4 when said end portion: are secured to said piece 4, as by screws 12 or by an other suitable means.

This lower element 8 is positioned centrally between the ends of the lower frame piece 4, and the length of the central portion 11 of element 8 is substantially longer than the width of the lower end portion 7 of the hanger member 6. Thus it will be apparent that the lower end portion 7 of the hanger member 6 may move laterally to different positions relative to the said central portion 11 of said element 8.

The upper end portion of hanger member 6 is preferably formed with a vertical row of openings 13, and in its original form this member 6 may extend a distance above the actual picture to be hung as indicated in broken lines at 14 (Fig. 3). However, the material of member 6 is adapted to be readily cut off at its upper end so that the member will be fully positioned within the confines of the outline of the picture when the picture and the hanger are fully assembled for hanging said picture.

An upper horizontally elongated and horizontally disposed element 15 is secured at its ends to the rear surface of the sides 5 of the frame by screws 16 or by any other suitable means. This element 15 is also preferably a strip of any suitable, semi-rigid material of the same kind as that of member 6 and lower element 8. Aluminum or other metal adapted to be readily cut has been found to be suitable.

As seen in Fig. 3, the upper element 15 may initially be substantially longer than the horizontal width of the picture, and is provided with a row of openings 17 in each of its opposite end portions. The surplus end portions, it any, and indicated in broken lines 18, may be cut off so that the strip will come within the confines of the.

outline of the picture.

The provision of a plurality of holes 17 in the ends of element 15 insures at least one hole in each end of the said element being positioned for a screw 16. The plurality of holes 13 in the upper end of member 6 insures the proper positioning of means for suspending the member 6 from a wall as will later be explained.

Centrally between its ends the upper element 15 is formed to provide a vertically directed opening by striking adjacent upper and lower portions 19, 20 (Fig. 4) of the central part of said member 15 oppositely along a horizontal slit between said portions. The hanger member 6 is adapted to extend relatively loosely vertically through the opening thus formed, so that the said member can pivot relative to the upper element to a degree about a horizontal axis in said opening. This enables the lower end portion of the hanger member 6 to be swung relative to the lower element to one side or the other along the lower element 8 about a horizontal axis extending through the upper element 15 and hanger member 6 at this point where the hanger member extends through the central opening in the upper element 15.

In actual practice, after the picture hanger, which includes the hanger member 6 and the lower and upper elements 8, 15, has been assembled on the rear side of the picture, as seen in Fig. 1, the hanger member 6 may be readily removed from the elements 8, 15 and placed against the wall 22 from which the picture is to be hung.

The person hanging the picture can readily position the hanger member 6 at the correct place for supporting the picture at the proper elevation (either with respect to its upper or lower edges) since the upper and lower ends of the member 6 terminate approximately at the upper and lower edges of the picture. Lateral positioning of the picture on the wall is readily ascertained, for the reason that the hanger member 6 will be at the vertical center line of the picture. Once the hanger is positioned, brads or any other suitable supporting members 23 adapted to pass through holes 13 may be driven into the wall 22. These may be slanted slightly upwardly from the wall at their exposed ends, or substantially horizontal, and preferably two are used so that the hanger member 6 when suspended therefrom will not swing if the picture is accidentally pushed to one side or the other.

After the supporting members 23 have been driven into the wall 22 at the correct positions for suspending member 6 therefrom, the latter is removed and is again placed in the position seen in Fig. 1 with the hooked lower portion of hanger member '6 engaging below the lower element 8, and with said hanger member extending through the central opening in the upper element 15. After this is done, the picture is hung by passing the heads of the brads or supporting members 23 through an upper pair of holes 13 in the upper end portion of hanger member 6.

In this connection, it should be noted that the position of the upper element 15 is preferably above the center of the picture, and the holes 13 are above the element 15, as seen in Figs. 1, 3.

In the event the picture should not be precisely level, due either to the fact that the hanger member 6 is not exactly vertical or due to any other variation that would cause the picture to be tilted relative to horizontal, it is merely necessary to lift the picture slightly olf the lower hook portion 7 and move the picture about an axis at the pivotal connection between the hanger member 6 and the upper element 15 until it is level. The person may then release the picture so it will be suspended from its lower side at the point of engagement between said lower hook portion 7 and the lower element 8. The connection between the member 6 and element 15 will, of course, hold the picture to the member 6.

Once the picture is levelled, as above described, it will remain level insofar as any normal disturbances are concerned inasmuch as the frictional resistance between said hook portion 7 and element 8 at their point of engagement is adequate to resist any relative movement between said portion and said element due to normal tremors or vibrations in a house. While the lower edge of element 8 could be roughened or serrated to increase said frictional resistance to movement, it has not been found to be necessary.

It may be also noted that the use of two brads 23 is not absolutely essential, because the picture when levelled and suspended from a single brad, will not swing out of position due to severe vibrations or tremors in the house, but under certain circumstances it may not fully swing back to the proper position if the picture is accidentally moved out of level position by a person. The use of two brads or the like will resist swinging of member 6 even if the picture is struck or is pushed toward one side or the other.

In some instances, such as where the picture may include a relatively thin frame that does not otter sufiicient material for the screws, or tacks 12, '16, a slightly different structure may be employed in which upper horizontal element 25 (Fig. 5) that generally corresponds to element 15, may be relatively short and may be secured to the backing board 26 of the picture by adherent tabs 27, and the lower element 28 that generally corresponds to element 8 may be similarly secured to the back 26- by similar tabs 29.

The vertical hanger member 30 that generally corresponds to member 6 may be provided with a vertical slot 31 where it crosses element 25, and a pivot 32 carried by said element 25 may extend into said slot with the member 30 extending between the element 25 and the back of the picture.

The upper end portion of the member 30 may be formed with a vertical slot 33 adapted to pass the heads of brads 23 or the like so that the upper brad will take the weight of the picture, while the lower one will hold the member 30 against swinging, or a single brad 34- (Fig. 6) may be used. Obviously openings such as shown at 13 in Fig. 3 may be used instead of the slot 33, but inasmuch as member 30 in Fig. 5 is not as readily separable from the element 25 as is the case of member 6 and element 15 in Fig. 1, the use of a slot 33 eliminates the need for positioning a lower brad 23 at the precise point of an opening in member 6.

The lower end portion of the member 34) in Fig. 5 is doubled on itself to form a hook member 35 that corresponds to the hook 7 on element 6.

Any desired degree of tilt of the picture relative to the wall may easily be obtained by the spacing of the central portion of element 15 from the back of the picture. Such spacing may be achieved by bending or bowing the element 15, so that it does not extend straight across the back of the picture. The provision of surplus material 18 on the element 15 permits accomplishing the above result.

'It is obvious that various modifications may be made in the structure without departing from the spirit of the invention. The detailed description and the drawings are therefore not to be considered as limitations on the invention.

It is also to be understood that while the description refers to pictures and to the hanger as being a picture hanger, the claims are intended to cover any object, mirrors, signs, etc. that are to be suspended in a level position.

I claim:

1. In combination with a generally vertically disposed picture, a vertically elongated semi-rigid hanger member, lower means rigidly connected with said picture adjacent to its lower edge in adjustable engagement with the lower end portion of said hanger member, means rigid with said lower end portion of said hanger adjustably engaging said lower means in supporting relation to the latter for lateral movement of said lower end portion relative to said lower means and relative to said picture to dilferent points at one or the other side of the vertical axis of said picture for suspending said picture from said hanger member at one of said points when the upper end of said hanger member is secured to a wall, upper means on said picture spaced a substantial distance above said lower means and below the upper end of said hanger member connected with said hanger member for swinging movement of the lower end portion of said hanger member relative to said lower means about a generally horizontal axis at the connection be tween said upper means and said hanger member to one of said points whereby said picture may be rotated in its plane about an axis at said upper means to a level position for suspension from said hanger member at one of said points in said level position and means for securing the upper end of said hanger member to a wall, said hanger member and said upper means and said lower means respectively being strips of material adapted to be readily cut to any desired length for coming within the laterally projected confines of the picture to which they are secured.

2. In combination with a generally vertically disposed picture, a vertically elongated semi-rigid hanger member, lower means rigidly connected with said picture adjacent to its lower edge in adjustable engagement with the lower end portion of said hanger member, means rigid with said lower end portion of said hanger adjustably engaging said lower means in supporting relation to the latter for lateral movement of said lower end portion relative to said lower means and relative to said picture to different points at one or the other side of the vertical axis of said picture for suspending said picture from said hanger member at one of said points when the upper end of said hanger member is secured to a wall, upper means on said picture spaced a substantial distance above said lower means and below the upper end of said hanger member connected with said hanger member for swinging movement of the lower end portion of said hanger member relative to said lower means about a generally horizontal axis at the connection between said upper means and said hanger member to one of said points whereby said picture may be rotated in its plane about an axis at said upper means to a level position for suspension from said hanger member at one of said points in said level position, means at the upper end of said hanger member for securing said member rigid relative to a vertical wall against which the picture is to be hung.

3. In combination with a generally vertically disposed picture frame having lateral sides and an upper and a lower side, a vertically elongated, semi-rigid hanger member positioned within the laterally projected confines of the outer outline of said frame and substantially midway between the lateral sides of the latter, the lower end of said member being at said lower side of said frame and the upper end of said member being at said upper side of said frame, a lower horizontally elongated relatively rigid element secured to said lower side, the lower end portion of said hanger member including a projection rigid therewith projecting below said lower element for engagement with the lower side of said lower element at different points therealong, upper means rigid with said frame spaced between said upper and said lower sides connected with said member for swinging the lower end of said member including said projection relative to said lower means about a substantially horizontal axis at the connection between said upper means and said member to said different points when the upper end of said member is secured to a Wall forsuspending a picture therefrom at one of said points said hanger member extending a substantial distance above said upper means, and means for securing the upper end of said member at a point spaced above said upper means, to a wall.

4. In combination with a generally vertically disposed picture frame having lateral sides and an upper and a lower side, a vertically elongated, semi-rigid hanger member positioned within the laterally projected confines of the outer outline of said frame and substantially midway between the lateral sides of the latter, the lower end of said member being at said lower side of said frame and the upper end of said member being at said upper side of said frame, a lower horizontally elongated relatively rigid element secured to lower side, the lower end portion of said hanger member including a projection rigid therewith projecting below said lower element for engagement with the lower side of said lower element at different points therealong, upper means rigid with said frame spaced between said upper and said lower sides connected with said member for swinging the lower end of said member including said projection relative to said lower means about a substantially horizontal axis at the connection between said upper means and said member to said diiferent points when the upper end of said member is secured to a wall for suspending a picture therefrom at one of said points said hanger member extending a substantial distance above said upper means and adjacent to the upper side of said frame, said upper means being positioned above a horizontal medial line on said frame and means at the upper end of said hanger member spaced above said upper means for securing said hanger member to a wall.

5. A picture hanger comprising; a pair of elements adapted to be rigidly secured, one over the other in vertically spaced relation, to the back of a picture thereby providing an upper element and a lower element, a vertically elongated semi-rigid hanger member adapted to engage said lower element at the lower end of said hanger member in supporting relation to said lower element, said hanger member extending upwardly from said lower element, when its lower end is in engaging supporting relation to said lower element and across and past said upper element to a point spaced above the latter, means on said supporting member at said last mentioned point for suspending said hanger member therefrom, means connecting said hanger member with said upper element at the point where said hanger member crosses said upper element for swinging of said hanger member relative to said upper member about a horizontal axis at said last mentioned point, means on the lower end of said hanger member movable therewith upon swinging of said hanger member relative to the lower element, to difierent horizontally spaced points along said lower element and into said engaging supporting relation to said lower member at each of said last mentioned spaced points to thereby enable the picture to which said elements are adapted to be supported to be levelled when said hanger member is suspended from its upper end and said upper and lower elements are rigidly secured to the back of said picture.

6. A picture hanger comprising; a vertically elongated, relatively rigid hanger member adapted to extend vertically across the back of the picture to be hung from approximately the upper edge to approximately its lower edge and in a position substantially midway between the lateral side edges of such picture, a horizontally elongated lower element adapted to be rigidly secured to the back of such picture adjacent to its said lower edge, means connecting the lower end of said hanger member with said lower element in supporting engagement with the latter for movement of said means with said lower end to dilferent horizontally spaced points on said lower element and in said supporting engagement at each of said spaced points, an upper element spaced below the upper end of said hanger member and closer to said upper end than to the lower end of said hanger member, said upper element being connected with said hanger member for swinging of said hanger member relative thereto about a horizontal axis at said upper element and for movement of said hanging member longitudinally thereof relative to said upper element to enable movement of said means on the lower end of said hanging member to said difierent horizontally spaced points when said upper element is rigidly secured to the back of said picture, said upper member being adapted to be rigidly secured to the back of said picture.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 449,496 Rulon Mar. 31, 1891 FOREIGN PATENTS 15,224 Great Britain Sept. 8, 1891 289,183 Great Britain Apr. 26, 1928 628,178 France June 27, 1927 

